Test Drive
by allyrwhitney
Summary: Cedric invites Sofia to test an improved invention with him.
1. The Car

_I own a couple of OCs... That's it._

Test Drive

Chapter 1; The Car

It was a beautiful late September afternoon in Enchancia. Sofia, dressed in her riding clothes, was in the castle stable carrying a bucket of carrots, apples, and a few sugar cubes mixed with oats. As she approached Minimus's stall, the purple horse whinnied in excitement.

"Oh, boy! All my favorite treats in one bucket! Sofia, you're gonna spoil me."

The princess giggled. "Oh, Minimus, you deserve every one of these treats." She set the bucket down in front of him, laughing as he dived right in.

Earlier that afternoon, the two of them had set out for what was supposed to be a quick flight around the kingdom. But as they flew over the forest, they had heard a mother calling frantically for her son. Sofia, being Sofia, had immediately wanted to help. She had Minimus land near the woman and asked what was wrong. It turned out that a small boy had wandered away from where his family was camping. The young Protector had offered to help look for the boy. She had asked some birds and rabbits to assist too. After about an hour of looking, the toddler was found by some rabbits. He hadn't gone that far from camp. He had fallen asleep under a bush. The family had thanked Sofia profusely for her help. She was just glad everything had turned out all right.

After spending a few more minutes with Minimus, the auburn haired princess left the stable to change and get ready for a lesson with Cedric. However, she didn't get very far when she spotted her mentor walking in her direction. That was a little odd. Of course, she knew he ventured out of the castle every now and then, but why would he be coming to the stable? If he wanted to go somewhere he would probably ask for a coach.

She smiled and waved. "Hi, Mr. Cedric!"

"There you are, Sofia," he said, stopping before her. "I have been looking all over for you. Do you realize how big this castle is?" He gestured dramatically at the castle behind him.

She giggled. "Sorry. Why were you looking for me? It's not time for my lesson just yet."

"Well, about that," he began, clasping his hands behind his back. "I was wondering if you would like to test out one of my inventions with me."

"Sure, Mr. Cedric," she smiled, reaching up to remove her riding helmet and shaking out her auburn waves. "Where is it?"

"Oh, it's behind the stable, so it's actually good that I found you here. Come along."

He led her around the building where several coaches and sleighs were kept. At the far side, a few tables had been set up with various tools laid out. As Cedric led Sofia over, her eyes fell on a familiar red automobile that was parked there.

"Hey, that's the car we used for our trip to the Royal Elephant Park a couple of years ago." She smiled at the memory. Oh, what an interesting vacation that had been. Looking up at Cedric, she asked curiously, "So, you made it?"

"Yes," he said proudly. "Well, actually I made it with the Royal Inventor, Miss Gwen."

"Oh, so you and Gwen worked together? I think that's neat."

"Well, she is quite creative, but she tends to get distracted by her other inventions."

"Yeah, that sounds like her," the princess laughed. "So, when did you get time to work on the car?" She placed her helmet on top of a pile of hay and walked over to stand next to him by one of the tables.

"It wasn't easy," he shrugged. "We both had our own duties, but we managed to work on it once a week. After you and your family used it for your vacation someone brought it back here, but Miss Gwen and I were too busy to do anything with it. A few months ago, she came to me with some ideas of how we might improve the ways the car travels."

"And you've been working on it ever since? I've seen you every day, and I never knew about it."

"It was usually at night," he said simply. He picked up a clipboard from the table. "The car is now ready to be tested. You already know it can fly, yes?" seeing her nod, he went on. "We've added a few more methods of travel. It can now water travel, space travel, time travel, and teletravel."

"Wow! That sounds awesome." She looked up at him eagerly. "Can I drive it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose… But you'll have to be careful."

Sofia nodded. "I promise."

"Very well." He led her to the driver's side and opened the door, helping her in. "Hmm, since you're still small I'll make a few adjustments."

The princess sighed. "I hope I get taller soon. I'm the shortest kid in my class at Ever Realm Academy."

Cedric chuckled. "Be patient, my dear. I'm sure you'll grow taller in time."

After making the necessary adjustments using magic, Cedric slid into the seat next to Sofia. He spent the next few minutes explaining how things worked and what certain knobs and levers did. The girl paid close attention, as usual.

"So, what are we going to do first?" she asked as soon as he was done explaining everything.

The sorcerer smirked. "Well, _first_ we see if you can actually drive this thing on the ground."

She laughed. "Oh, fine. I guess that's fair."

They took the car for several laps around the stable building at different speeds. Sofia had always been a quick learner, and this was no exception. Cedric found himself relaxing… A second later, he panicked when he noticed they were heading straight for a haystack. Sofia calmly turned the car to the right, avoiding crashing into it.

"Are you satisfied now, Mr. Cedric?" the girl asked with her own smirk as they finished their fifth round of the stable yard.

"Yes, quite," he mumbled, trying to get his heart rate to slow down. What in Merlin's name was he thinking letting an almost twelve year old girl drive? He had almost had a heart attack when they almost hit that haystack. "I suppose now we can try flying."

"Ooh, I love flying," she exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course you do," he said sarcastically. "If you were given fairy wings I doubt you would walk much anymore."

Sofia just smiled. He didn't know about the time she had used her amulet to turn into a fairy in order to help Chrysta. But that was a story for later. "What do I need to do?"

"First, turn that knob to 'Air Travel'." He gestured to a yellow knob, nodding when she did as instructed. "Next, pull that lever to levitate the car." She did, and the car lifted fifteen feet into the air. "Now, press that pedal with your foot, and we can flyyyyy…" The last word was lost to the wind as they whizzed ahead.

…

Meanwhile, Baileywick was giving a new gardener a tour of the castle grounds. The gardener, a young woman named Lana, was very excited to have gotten a job at the **_castle_**, of all places. She tossed her long red braid over one shoulder as she followed the steward, listening attentively as he described every detail of the royal gardens.

"…And here we have the hedge maze," he said, stopping near the entrance.

Lana's green eyes lit up. "Oh, cool! A hedge maze!" she enthused. "I've always wanted to see one of those. Can you take me through it?"

"Well, I suppose we have a few minutes to spare." Baileywick was about to check his pocket watch when…

_WHOOOOSH_!

Both ducked as a large red object sailed overhead.

"What was that?" Lana asked, standing to her full height again as she watched the object whiz away.

The older man sighed and adjusted his spectacles. "That was just the Royal Sorcerer testing one of his flying machines. Now, shall we go through the maze?"

…

In the car, Cedric clung to the inside of his door for dear life. If having Sofia drive on the ground was scary, having her fly was, if possible, more terrifying. For one thing, they were quite a few feet off the ground. For another, the princess seemed to actually like going this fast. She was laughing gleefully as the wind blew her hair. The poor sorcerer could only gasp in fright as yet another tree came at them. Of course, Sofia turned before they hit it, but that didn't make his heartbeat any calmer.

"Sofia!" he managed to call out, getting her attention. "Slow down! We're going too fast."

"Oh, okay." She pressed one foot on the brake pedal, slowing the car and eventually bringing it to a smooth landing, much to Cedric's relief. "This is ah–mazing! It works way better than it did on our vacation." She glanced toward her mentor and stifled a giggle. Cedric had slid low in the seat. His hair was sticking in all directions from the wind. One hand was clutching the armrest on the door. "Are you okay, Mr. Cedric?"

"Yes, yes." He pushed himself back up into the seat and patted his hair back into place. "But next time go slower. _Please_."

The girl just smiled. "Sure, Mr. Cedric. What do you want to do now?" She gasped, remembering something. "Ooh, you said this car could time travel. Can we really go back in time? Can we see the day you became the Royal Sorcerer?"

"No," he stated firmly, folding his arms. "That is one method of travel I am _not_ comfortable with. If you want to go back in time, you'll have to ask Miss Gwen. Besides," he frowned as a sad look crossed his face. "I don't need to see that day again. No one seemed to believe that I could handle the job. They all looked at me so disappointedly. Well, except for my mother, of course. And Queen Lorelei. She was always kind to me."

Sofia frowned. She hadn't meant to bring up a bad memory. She had almost forgotten that after the incident with his sister's hair Cedric had been known as a bungler. She moved closer to him, wrapping an arm around him in a side hug. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cedric," she smiled gently "But I always thought you were doing an awesome job. And now you're Cedric the Great, the greatest sorcerer in the Ever Realm."

He chuckled as he returned the hug. "Most of that is because of you, my dear."

She blushed and giggled. "Mr. Cedric…"

"I'm serious, Sofia." He hugged her a little tighter. "Where would I be if you hadn't believed in me when no one else would? You're the best friend I've had since, um…" he paused, unsure how to finish that sentence. He cleared his throat. "So… I think we're ready to try teletraveling. What do you say?"

Sofia released him and moved back behind the wheel. "What's teletravel?" she asked curiously.

"It's like teleporting except we use this car," he explained. "It will be faster than taking a coach anywhere." He gestured at the yellow knob. "Go ahead and set it to 'Teletravel'."

The princess did as she was told, gasping as a blue sphere of light appeared in the center of the steering wheel. It was pulsing as if it was waiting for something. She blinked and looked back at her mentor.

"Just tell it where you want to go," he said calmly.

Sofia turned back to the sphere and named the first place to come to mind. "Dunwiddie."

A ray of light shot from the front of the car, and a portal with an image of the village appeared a few yards ahead of them. It was like looking through a clear window framed by a blue glow.

"Wow!" Sofia breathed in awe. "So, I just drive through it?"

"Yes." He grabbed the door bracing himself for the speed he knew would come. Nothing happened. Frowning, he looked outside the car and noted that they had barely moved an inch. He looked back at his apprentice. She was watching him from the corner of her eye, her foot just barely pressing the speed pedal. "What are you doing now, dear girl?"

She gave him a sly smile. "Well, you _said_ to go slower, so I'm going slower."

Cedric groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "Sofia…"

She rolled her eyes and laughed playfully as she pressed down farther on the pedal. "Okay. Hang on, Mr. Cedric. Here we go."

The car disappeared through the portal.


	2. The First Two Stops

Chapter 2; The First Two Stops

It was a relatively calm day in Dunwiddie. Some of the villagers were out enjoying the early autumn weather. The aura of fresh apple pie came from the bakery. Some children were tossing a Dazzleball around in the park. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared in amazement when a blue light appeared in the middle of the village. When the light dissipated, a strange red object was standing in its place.

"It worked!" Sofia exclaimed happily, looking around at the village where she had spent the first part of her life.

Cedric rolled his eyes but smiled. "Of course it worked. The village isn't that far from the castle. Try going farther next time."

The princess hummed thoughtfully. "What about–"

"SOFIA!"

The occupants of the car jumped at the sound of the princess's name being called. They finally noticed that a few people were watching them curiously. Ruby and Jade were walking toward the car, waving excitedly at Sofia.

The auburn haired girl laughed as she got out of the car and hugged her two friends. "Ruby! Jade!" she smiled and waved at the other people. "It's all right. Mr. Cedric and I were just testing one of his inventions."

The villagers smiled and went back to what they were doing.

"So, what is this thing, Sofia?" Jade asked, peering at the car through her glasses.

"It looks sort of like the Go Carriages we made a few years ago," Ruby added. "Only bigger."

"It's a car," Sofia gushed happily. "Mr. Cedric made it with the Royal Inventor. It does all kinds of awesome things and–"

Cedric cleared his throat from where he was still sitting in the car. "Princess Sofia, as lovely as it is listening to you and your friends chat, we should be on our way."

Jade folded her arms. "Hello to you too, Cedric the Grumpy."

"Jade!" Ruby gasped.

Cedric huffed. "Excuse me! I most certainly am not grumpy. I am just…" He trailed off when Jade snickered. "Oh, very funny."

"Jade, don't tease Mr. Cedric like that," Sofia scolded lightly. "He's right. We should be going. You're coming to my birthday party next week, right?"

"Of course we are," Ruby assured her.

"We won't miss your party for the world," Jade added.

"Oh, before I forget," Ruby began. "Tizzy wanted to know if there was anything special you wanted."

Sofia paused before laughing and shaking her head. "No. Just having my family and friends together is special enough. I'll see you later." She waved to her friends as they walked away before getting back in the car. She turned to her mentor, only to find that he was looking at her curiously. "What?"

"Am I… invited to your party?" he asked tentatively, fiddling with his gloves.

The princess smiled gently, reaching over to take his hand, squeezing it. "Of course you are." She understood why he hadn't been at her party last year. Last year her dad had wanted almost nothing to do with the sorcerer, and he had not requested for Cedric to be at Sofia's birthday party. So, even though Sofia had invited him, Cedric had decided to stay in his tower, not wanting to irritate the king. But this year things were different. "You're part of my family. If you're not there I'll come get you myself."

Cedric was touched by her words. She considered him part of her family. And she wanted him at her birthday party. He felt his heart swell with happiness. Not too many people invited him to parties as a guest, and he didn't care much for those social gatherings. But Sofia always made sure he was invited. "Thank you, Sofia. I'll be there."

"I'm glad," she beamed. "Now, where should we go next?" She thought for a minute and her eyes lit up. "How about Mystic Meadows?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why? We were just there for Calista's birthday a few weeks ago."

"I'm sure your mom would be happy to see you again. Besides," she grinned as she gestured ahead of them. "The portal is already open." Apparently, when she said the name of the retirement community the Teletravel Sphere had activated.

Cedric sighed. "Very well. If we must." He yelped as the car zoomed forward.

…

Winifred hummed happily as she finished the red scarf she had been knitting. She then pulled out her wand and cast a spell that would warm the scarf depending on what temperature the wearer was in. She smiled proudly. Another Wassailia gift was done. She put the finished product in her sewing basket and sat back in her chair. She and Goodwyn were sitting outside in front of their cottage in Mystic Meadows enjoying the peaceful day. Well, Winifred was enjoying the peaceful day. She smirked when she heard yet another groan from her husband. "Did you lose again, dear?"

Goodwyn was scowling down at the chess board in front of him. The residents of the retirement community were having a chess tournament in a few weeks, and he had been practicing for a few hours. He had enchanted the white pieces while he played the black ones. Unfortunately, it wasn't working in his favor. "Yes," he grumbled in answer to his wife.

She snickered. "What's the score now? Magic ten, Goodwyn zero?"

"Oh, do be quiet, Winifred," he said, flicking his wand and starting a new game. "I'll win… eventually."

The sorceress just shook her head. Goodwyn the Great was great at many things. Chess wasn't one of them. She reached into her sewing basket and pulled out a ball of dark purple yarn. She had decided to get a head start with Wassailia gifts. So far, she had Cordelia's and Calista's finished. Now it was time to start one for Cedric.

A few minutes later, she gasped when she saw a flash of blue light across the bridge from the cottage. She blinked when a strange red object materialized on the spot. Her shock turned to delight when she realized something. "Goody," she squealed. "Cedric has come to visit. And he brought the dear Princess Sofia."

"Hmm…" he muttered, not looking up from his game.

Winifred rushed across the bridge and threw her arms around her son who had barely gotten out of the car. "Oh, Ceddykins, I'm so happy to see you."

"Er, hello, Mummy," he said, returning her hug.

Sofia giggled as she walked around the car and stood beside them. "Hi, Mrs. Winifred."

"And Princess Sofia." The woman released her son and hugged the girl. "It's always so nice to see you." After releasing the princess, she eyed the car curiously. "And what is this thing?"

"It's a car," Sofia explained. "Mr. Cedric helped make it. We were just testing it out."

"That sounds wonderful," Winifred exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Come. Let's have some tea and fly cakes, and you can tell me all about it." She led them across the bridge, flicking her wand and conjuring two more chairs and a table with the desired treats. "Goody, we have guests."

"Humph," the old sorcerer grumbled, still not looking up.

The two visiting Enchancians exchanged looks.

"What's wrong with Father?" Cedric wondered. He knew his father could be a grouch sometimes, but not even acknowledging royalty? That was odd.

His mother sighed, picking up the teapot and pouring the steaming liquid into the cups. "Oh, it's just a chess tournament coming up in a few weeks. And you know how your father is with chess."

Cedric snickered. "He can never win." He walked over to the table where his father was so absorbed in his game. After examining the position of the pieces on the board, he carefully moved one and claimed Goodwyn's king. "Checkmate," he announced triumphantly.

Goodwyn sighed, finally looking up. "Cedric? When did you get here?"

The younger sorcerer shrugged. "Just now."

"Well, sit down," his father commanded, waving his wand to start a new game. "I need to play with another human for a change."

Cedric grinned. "Okay. Just a minute." He stepped over to the table where the fly cakes were. Taking one of the hovering cupcakes, he quickly ate it and took a few sips of tea. Then he grabbed one of the extra chairs and carried it back to his father, sitting across from him. "Let's begin, shall we? Goodwyn the Great against Cedric the Great."

Sofia giggled as she sat down with Winifred. "So, is Mr. Goodwyn really that bad at chess?"

The woman just smiled. "Oh, yes. And I'm afraid playing with Cedric won't help."

…

About half an hour later, Winifred and Sofia were sitting on either side of the table watching the two sorcerers play. It was Goodwyn's turn. He was looking at his pieces carefully, trying to decide the best move to make. Cedric was sitting across from him, his arms folded and an impassive expression on his face. Finally, Goodwyn moved one of his knights. In one fluid motion, Cedric moved one of his own pieces, a pawn, and claimed his father's king.

"Checkmate, Father," he announced.

Goodwyn stared in disbelief. "You beat me with a _pawn_! How did you get so good at this game? I'm the one who taught you to play."

Cedric smirked. "I had a lot of time to practice. I used to play chess and checkers with… Wormwood…" His face fell at the mere mention of his former familiar. It had been a few months since he had successfully captured the raven and the shape shifter, Twitch. He still couldn't believe Wormwood had betrayed him for someone more evil than he had ever been. It still hurt. A lot. He looked up when Sofia covered his hand comfortingly, her blue eyes full of sympathy. He smiled in appreciation, turning his hand over and gently squeezing hers.

Goodwyn sighed heavily and stood up. "Well, I have had enough of this game." He covered his mouth and yawned. "I think I'll get a nap in before dinner."

"We should probably leave soon," Sofia suggested, looking toward her mentor.

"Ah, yes, we should," he nodded. "Although I must admit I was rather enjoying a break from your… dangerous driving." He smirked playfully as she laughed.

A few minutes later, the sorcerer and his apprentice were back in the car after saying good bye to his parents and promising to visit again soon.

"Where to now, Mr. Cedric?" she grinned as she watched him happily eating the last fly cake.

He swallowed the last bite. "I have no idea."

"Well…" the princess thought for a minute. "I can think of a lot of places…" Her eyes lit up as a thought crossed her mind. "Can we visit Ms. Cordelia?"

He eyed her warily, folding his arms. "Now why do we need to visit her?"

She shrugged. "Well, I've never been to her kingdom before, so I was just wondering what it was like."

Cedric hummed. "Now that you mention it, I am curious to see what the castle looks like after it was remodeled last year."

"Great!" Sofia beamed. "Where are we going?"

"The castle of Moronia." He sighed as the Teletravel Sphere activated and a portal appeared in front of them. "And here we go."

She just giggled as she drove the car forward. "Lighten up, Mr. Cedric."

Within seconds they disappeared from Mystic Meadows.


	3. Trespassing

Chapter 3; Trespassing

Sofia blinked as she stared in bewilderment up at the castle before her. "Wow! It's really, um…"

"Extravagant," Cedric supplied. "Seriously? Who would want to live in a castle like this?"

The princess giggled. "Well, Amber might."

The kingdom of Moronia wasn't much different from Enchancia. There were a few villages scattered throughout the land. A forest full of trees that were just beginning to change to autumn colors could be seen beyond the castle gate. The only major difference between the two kingdoms was that Moronia was completely surrounded by mountains. Then there was the castle itself that stood out like gold in a dull background. The walls were shimmering with a golden hue. The roofs of the towers were sparkling silver. And the front steps were like glass, smooth and shiny.

Sofia and Cedric were so busy looking at the castle that they didn't see the guards approaching. When they heard a throat clearing sharply, they were made very aware of the fact that they had walked a short distance from the car, which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere just inside the castle gate. Two guards were now glaring at them with drawn swords.

"State your business here," one demanded, pointing his sword at them, making Cedric gulp nervously and step back.

Sofia smiled uncertainly. "Hi! I'm Princess Sofia of Enchancia, and this is my Royal Sorcerer, Mr. Cedric. We were just–"

"Trespassing?" the other guard interrupted.

Sofia flinched at his harsh tone. "W–Well, we didn't mean to–"

"Are you sure you're a real princess?" the first guard asked, eying her skeptically. "Don't princesses wear dresses? And you don't even have a tiara."

The girl huffed in annoyance, placing her hands on her hips. "These are my riding clothes."

"Show some respect," Cedric snarled, stepping forward with his wand out. "Not all princesses sit around like dolls in their royal finery."

"Mr. Cedric," Sofia gasped, grabbing his arm. "Don't do anything stupid."

"That is _enough_," a voice called. They all looked up as Cordelia marched right up to the group and planted herself between the guards and the two Enchancians. She gave the uniformed men a sharp look. "I don't know what it is with you two, but if you don't go back to your post _now_, I'll tell the king that you were disrespectful toward a royal."

"You can't tell us what to do," one of the guards declared.

"Oh, really?" the sorceress smirked pulling out her wand. "What was that spell I put on you last week? The one you both hated? Ooh, I remember." She waved her wand flippantly. "_Rosea_ _capillum_."

The guards yelped and ducked as magic flew over their heads. Deciding it was probably better to leave, they quickly retreated after giving Cordelia dirty looks.

She twirled her wand and finally turned to the two visitors. "Well, well, look who finally decided to visit." She smirked at her brother.

"Cordelia, do you just go around casting spells on people?" Cedric asked, frowning.

"Oh, Trent and Trever are the only ones who get it from me these days." She gestured in the direction the guards had disappeared in. "They take their jobs too seriously, as you noticed. Besides, dear brother, you were about to do the same." She snickered as he hid his wand behind his back.

Sofia laughed. "How are you, Ms. Cordelia?"

"Ah, Princess Sofia," the woman smiled warmly. "It's always nice to see you. I have been just marvelous. But what brings you here?"

"We were testing Mr. Cedric's invention," the princess replied, pointing to the car. "I was curious to see what your kingdom was like. It's a lot like Enchancia." She gazed back at the dazzling castle. "Your castle is really… bright."

Cedric scoffed. "It's a bit brash, even for you, Cordy."

She rolled her eyes. "_You_ try telling the king that. I've been trying since last year. That man just likes to show off to everyone what he has."

Sofia's eyes widened. "So is that real gold?"

Cordelia laughed, "Oh, no, dear girl. It's just a charm to make the castle look that way."

"Oh," the princess laughed. Of course the castle had to be enchanted. She had never really thought about it before, but there couldn't be enough gold in the Ever Realm to build one big castle, could there? "Where's Calista?" she looked around, realizing she hadn't seen the little girl.

"I'm afraid my Little Angel Face is sick with a bad cold," the sorceress indicated a basket of herbs she had been carrying on one arm. "I was actually out here collecting ingredients for a potion Dexter is making for her."

"Ah, so Dexter is actually home?" Cedric asked sardonically, folding his arms. "That's surprising."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Well, he _does_ live here, Cedric. And he's not gone as often as you may think."

"Who's Dexter?" Sofia asked curiously.

Cordelia paused. "I'll have to let Cedric tell you. I really need to get these herbs to him so Calista can feel better. Have fun with your… contraption." She nodded toward the car as she hurried in the direction of the glossy front steps.

"Tell Calista we said hi," Sofia called after her.

"I'm sure that will make her happy," the woman smiled over her shoulder.

The princess waved as Cordelia disappeared into the castle. Then she turned to her mentor and asked, "Mr. Cedric, who is Dexter?"

The sorcerer sighed deeply, turning around and leading her back toward the car. "Dexter the Daring is Moronia's Royal Sorcerer and Cordelia's husband."

Sofia's eyes widened at this information. "Oh." Well, that was something she hadn't expected. It had always just been Cordelia and Calista. Neither of them had ever mentioned Dexter when they had stayed in Enchancia the previous year. Of course Sofia had never thought to ask about Calista's father. "What's Mr. Dexter like?"

Cedric narrowed his eyes as he leaned against the side of the car. "A bit of a show off, if you ask me."

She just smiled and shook her head. "I'm sure he's not that bad."

He offered her a disappointed look. "You don't know him, Sofia. While I was stuck performing parlor tricks for your father, Dexter was always sent on some missions for his king. And whenever the family got together, he liked to rub it in my face. It was always, 'I captured a mighty dragon,' or 'I fought a hoard of ogres,' or 'I went to some far off ruins and retrieved a magical artifact.'" He sighed in exasperation, pushed off the car and started to pace. "Honestly, it was embarrassing! _He_ got to do everything _I_ should have been doing instead of wasting my talents with magic shows. And he never seems to be home. Cordelia always brings Calista to stay with me so she and Dexter can get together somewhere. He didn't come to Enchancia when they were there last year because he was helping the Royal Architect remodel this oh so amazing castle. He wasn't at Calista's birthday party because he was off on _another_ adventure…"

Sofia had been standing there calmly listening to her friend rant. "I'm glad Dad didn't send you on missions," she said simply.

Cedric stopped pacing and stared at her in bewilderment. "What?"

She giggled and grabbed his hand, pulling him back to stand beside her. "If you had been gone all the time, I wouldn't have gotten to know you. Then who would help me practice for my sorcery tests? Who would protect me if someone came after me or my amulet? Who would be my best friend? Besides, I think you're a little jealous of Mr. Dexter." She winked playfully.

He sighed. "Yes, I suppose I am, but sometimes it just wasn't fair, Sofia." He folded his arms and pouted, looking very much like a child.

This just made Sofia laugh harder. "Oh, Mr. Cedric." Then she had an idea. "Hey, the next time I have a Protector mission in the Mystic Isles maybe you can come with me."

He brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. I know you've been wanting to go there for a long time."

"Hmm, then I can tell Dexter the Daringly Annoying that I've been to the Mystic Isles." He snickered, imagining the look on the other sorcerer's face.

Sofia rolled her eyes and nudged him gently. "Um, I think we should be going."

The sorcerer snapped back to reality and nodded. "Ah, yes. I don't want to deal with those pesky guards again if they should come back here for whatever reason."

He turned to the car and opened the door for her. When the girl was seated behind the wheel, he walked around to the other side to get in himself. When he closed his door, he was surprised to find that Sofia had moved close to him in the seat. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, baffled.

She smiled as she slid back behind the wheel. "When those guards were being rude, you stood up for me. That was sweet of you. And I don't think any good deed should go unnoticed."

Cedric was blushing darkly. "Sofia…"

"Now where should we go? Hmm…" She sat there thinking. After a minute, she turned to him. "Mr. Cedric, I have a question."

He groaned. "And what would that be?"

"Well," she gestured at the Teletravel Sphere. "This seems to work for places that have names like kingdoms and villages. But what if the place you wanted to go to didn't really have a name?"

"Hmm. I suppose if you know something about the location in question, for instance, someone who lives there, it might work. Why not give it a try?"

Sofia pondered this. Most places she knew had names. If she wanted to visit Ruby or Jade at their houses she would just have the car take her to Dunwiddie. Did she know any unnamed places? Then it hit her. She did in fact know a place like that. "Here goes." She cleared her throat and said to the pulsing sphere, "Princess Ivy's island."

A/N: Did it work? Sorry if this seems like an abruptchapter ending. I just thought it was as good a time as any to end the chapter. About Cordelia's husband… The idea came from a conversation I had with Mr. Shortman92. I said something like, "Maybe she's married to a Royal Sorcerer, and she's the fashion expert." Well, since Cordelia and Calista apparently _do_ live in a castle on the show, I figured, "Why not?" I hope you like the way I explained his absence on the show.


	4. The Last Stop

Chapter 4; The Last Stop

Sofia watched in anticipation as a portal opened in front of the car. Unlike the other portals, which had shown a clear image of the location, this one showed a swirl of gray and white light. "I wonder why it's like that," she mused out loud.

Cedric hadn't heard her. He was lost in thought. The name Princess Ivy sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't seem to grasp exactly where he had heard it. He didn't really know all of Sofia's princess friends by name, but he was pretty sure none of them were named Ivy.

"…_You helped me beat Princess Ivy_..."

And then it came to him. One day, a few years ago, Sofia had been in his workshop telling him about something that had happened a few weeks prior. Apparently, an evil princess had tried to take over the kingdom on her parents' anniversary. To Cedric the story was rather fantastic. He couldn't remember any of the things the girl was describing to him. And besides, taking over the kingdom had been _his_ goal at the time. But he really hadn't been paying that much attention because he had been busy with a potion.

"Mr. Cedric?"

The sorcerer blinked, realizing that Sofia was looking at him in concern. "What is it?"

She pointed at the portal in front of them. "I think something is wrong with the portal."

He gazed at the swirling gray and white light. "Wait a minute," he said, turning back to look at her. "Isn't Princess Ivy the evil princess you told me about? The one who tried to take over the kingdom a few years ago?"

Sofia nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

He threw his hands up incredulously. "Why in the Ever Realm would you want to visit _her_?"

"Mr. Cedric, calm down." She reached out and took his hands. "It's a long story, but last year my amulet summoned me to help her, and, let's just say, she's changed for the better."

He eyed her warily. "And where exactly _is_ she?"

"I don't know," Sofia shrugged. "One minute I was in my room with my animal friends, the next I was on her island with Whatnaught."

"Hmm, well…" He looked back at the portal. Personally, he didn't really want to meet with this princess. But if Sofia said she had changed, then he believed her. After all, _he_ had changed. "I suppose there's some kind of magical barrier on the island to keep her from leaving. You did say she was sent there after trying to take over her own kingdom, correct?"

She nodded. "So what will happen if we try going through the portal?"

"Either we get to that island, or we'll still be here," he shrugged.

The girl eyed the swirling light in front of them. After a minute, she made up her mind. "Let's see what happens. Hang on, Mr. Cedric." She pressed the speed pedal, and the car moved forward.

…

When the car materialized in a field, both of its passengers had their eyes squeezed tightly closed. Sofia was the first to open her eyes and look around. A huge smile spread on her face. "Wow! We're there. Ooh, this car really can go anywhere."

Cedric, on the other hand, was a bit unnerved by the strange scenery. Everything, the trees, the grass, the flowers, were in peculiar shades of… gray. He got out of the car and walked over to a patch of wildflowers. Plucking one, he examined it. It felt real, and it even smelled like a flower. "Hmm…"

"Mr. Cedric?" Sofia was beside him, a look of mild concern on her face. "Are you okay?"

He blinked. "What is this place? Why is everything so… colorless?"

The princess just shrugged, remembering how she had reacted when she first saw the island last year. "Well, I'm not sure why it's like this, but this is Princess Ivy's island."

"Yes, and it looks just marvelous," he said sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure we somehow got trapped in an old black and white painting I've seen in the castle's attic."

"Excuse me!" a voice scoffed from behind them, causing both to jump and turn. Ivy herself was standing there with her hands on her hips, her butterflies fluttering around her. She gave Cedric an irritated look. "I can assure you, Sorcerer, that we are _not_ inside some old painting in a dusty attic. This is my island, and I happen to like it."

Cedric gulped and stepped back. "O–Of course. It's very… um… lovely. Heh…"

Ivy smirked. "That's better." Her face softened when she looked toward the younger princess. "Princess Sofia, we meet again. What do I owe the pleasure of having you visit me?"

Sofia giggled, walking over to hug the older girl, much to Ivy's surprise. "Hi, Princess Ivy!" She smiled brightly as she stepped back to Cedric's side. "We were testing Mr. Cedric's invention." She gestured to the car. "It's really awesome! It can go anywhere, even places that don't have names."

Ivy raised a brow. "And what makes you think this island doesn't have a name?"

Sofia paused. "Well, um…"

"And what is the name of this oh so lovely island?" Cedric asked sarcastically. "Drabland? Colorlessia?"

"Mr. Cedric," Sofia scolded lightly, frowning.

Ivy huffed. "I'm working on it, okay. But what is the point of naming the island? No one ever comes here."

"What about Miss Nettle?" Sofia inquired.

The older girl groaned. "Don't remind me of that blazing ball of color. She comes here once a week to check on her flowers in that field that she changed from a lovely gray to _green_. Not to mention all the horrendously bright flowers. The very idea."

"Ah, so there _is_ color on this island?" Cedric smirked. "Marvelous." Sofia sighed and nudged him none too gently. "Ow!"

"Will you _please_ behave?" the auburn haired princess reprimanded.

He sighed. "Fine."

Ivy narrowed her eyes at the sorcerer. Then she turned back to Sofia. "Speaking of Nettle, I've heard quite the impressive story of you defeating the most powerful of evil sorceresses and saving Enchancia and the Ever Realm."

Sofia blushed modestly. "I didn't do it alone. Amber… My village friends… Everyone helped me." She smiled toward Cedric, taking his hand. "Especially Mr. Cedric. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for him."

Cedric just laughed bashfully and squeezed her hand.

"And now you're the Protector of the Ever Realm." Ivy smiled. It was a rare, true smile, and she really looked pretty with it. "Well done, Princess Sofia. I must admit I'm impressed. If anyone can keep our realm safe I know it's you."

The younger princess blushed even more. "Thank you, Princess Ivy."

Cedric cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt this lovely chat, but it's getting close to dinnertime, and we should probably get back to Enchancia before they send out a search party."

Sofia smiled knowingly. "In other words, Mr. Cedric, you just want to go home."

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, I must admit that I miss the more _colorful_ world."

Ivy rolled her eyes as Sofia giggled.

A few minutes later, after saying good bye to Ivy, the sorcerer and his apprentice were back in the car ready to go home. The portal was activated, showing an image of the Enchancian castle. Sofia drove through, and they were behind the castle stable where the whole adventure had begun. Upon arriving, Cedric cried out enthusiastically as he jumped out of the car, getting down on his knees and kissing the green grass.

"Oh, sweet color," he sighed happily.

Sofia laughed. "Oh, Mr. Cedric…" She got out of the car and went over to him, kneeling beside him. "You're so silly sometimes. That's one of the things I love about you." With that, she hugged him.

He chuckled as he returned the hug. "And what else do you love about me?"

She grinned, releasing him and standing up. "I _could_ go over the list, but it's almost time for dinner, and I'm starving." She held out a hand to him. "Would you like to eat with us?"

"Sure. I'm rather hungry after that adventure." He took her hand, and they walked back to the castle together as Sofia chattered about anything and everything, much to the sorcerer's amusement.

A/N: I apologize for the super long time it took to finish this story. I don't have a good excuse except that I had stories that had to be done by certain dates (New Year's Day and Valentine's Day). I'm a slow writer, and I wanted to make sure I got those stories done on time. A huge thanks to Mr. Shortman92, who suggested a story about the car from "Royal Vacation". I hope to have my next story, "Work from the Heart" up soon. As always, thanks for reading.


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